Darling
by Chrinn
Summary: Even miracles take a little time. Post-war.


_**A/N: **This is mostly a product of social isolation (majority of my day is spent alone in the Physics lab) and listening to Mazzy Star's Fade Into You. If there were any inaccuracies, I apologize. I stopped reading the manga after 614. The medical shiznit was taken mostly from Wikipedia. HAHA. Don't believe any of it, although there really is Lazarus Syndrome. Kindly inform me if there are any mistakes and I will fix it! This will be multi-chaptered, documenting the progress of their relationship from friends to lovers to husband and wife and to parents. Yikes, how am I going to write that?_

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

* * *

It infuriated her how quickly they had accepted his death.

There was no denial, no effort to revive him, none at all.

The moment they saw the seal lift off of his forehead, they lamented immediately.

But Tenten didn't.

They didn't know him as well as she did, hence, they knew nothing of his will to live, of his aspirations, of his goals and his desires.

Their sorrow was not as strong as hers, or maybe sorrow can never be measured.

You simply feel it and it consumes you.

A part of her flew with the bird that was freed, neither would return.

She lost only him but she lost everything, even the tears that should be wetting her cheeks right now and no one condones her for the lack of them.

"_Tenten-san…"_ She heard them say, voices laden with pity.

"_Tenten-san…" _She heard them say as they watched her try to revive him with her laughable medical skill.

"_Tenten-san…" _She heard them say, their number doubling.

"_Tenten-san," _They said, but she cannot hear, because her attempt had been futile.

The world was silent as she lowered her cheek onto his chest, both desperate for a heartbeat, and simply bone tired. She clung onto his hand, the right laced with her fingers and the left gripping his wrist, thinking that it would tether him to her, like an _akai ito. _

Only instead of a red string, theirs was the crimson of his blood.

No one moved as their hearts broke at the sight before them. Some were weeping; others have already cried all their tears out. And then there were those too numb to do anything but to watch the kunoichi, no, young woman, cling onto the cooling body of her beloved.

Their throats tightened when her head snapped up, eyes wide and hoping. They were blank and as lifeless as her love just a moment before, but now, it was swirling and burning with determination.

Another chipped cup.

But when medics dashed forth, hands outstretched and glowing with the meagre chakra they have, every single one of them released a breath that they had been unknowingly holding.

The kunoichi did not let go of his hand as the medics carried him away.

* * *

"_Lazarus syndrome or Lazarus phenomenon." _The words were gritty and stiff when spoken in Sakura's foreign tongue. "A rare case wherein the heart restarts. Only six cases are known, excluding this one."

Heads were bobbing at the given information. The silence that followed urged her to proceed with her explanation.

"I, myself, am not sure as to how this came to be. But I have a theory." An illustration of the heart was pasted on the wall for the entire crowd to see. A slender finger pointed to one of the veins. "One of his chest wound resulted to an aortic dissection. It was what caused the bleeding, and ultimately, his…death. The aorta has been stitched together when Tenten tried to heal him, but her chakra was not as finely tuned as a medic's, making the heart expand due to the pressure." She drew a circle around the organ for emphasis. "I am not sure if it is the heart's expansion or her chakra that triggered the organ's electrical responses."

"We can look into that some other time," The Godaime Hokage rose from her chair and faced the crowd of pale-eyed Hyūga clansmen.

Their faces were identically sombre and postured stiff and proper despite the fatigue and hunger. She took a clipboard from Shizune, and flipped through its contents.

"He is in a critical but stable condition. His heart may have failed for a while, but we were able to prevent his organs from failing. All I want is a hot bath and sleep right now, so I suggest you all think your answer thoroughly."

It was the million ryō question.

"Will Neji be sealed again?"

* * *

Ten years ago, he was the most sought-after male in their class. She could still remember how he sneered at the blushing and fumbling girls in his wake. In a way it was her personal entertainment. She would look at the girls and wonder who'd confess to him after class and she'd shrug off the nagging guilt at the joy she felt whenever he sends one of them home with a broken heart.

He was handsome and unattainable, it was his major appeal. His surname was a bonus, his prowess something to brag about to your posse.

She crossed her arms on the space beside his head and rests her chin on top of them. Honey-brown eyes trace the slope and angles of his face, still and devoid of the slight frown he always wore. His lips were parted slightly, seemingly greedy for air despite the breathing tube in his nose.

He was eager to live, and Tenten sees that every day, every time the medics turn to her with a smile and a positive update on his condition.

Neji was pulling through.

She reached out for his hand, careful not to dislodge the IV. His grip was slack, but hers was snug enough for the both of them. A small smile appeared on her face as she felt his warmth, saw the rise and fall of chest, an unmistakeable sign of life.

She mulled over Sakura's words to her the night before. The pink-haired medic tearfully told her that it was her _medical skill _that was ultimately responsible for Neji's resurrection. It felt surreal, more so when the Hyūga elders paid her a visit and bowed to her in gratitude. Hiashi even patted her shoulder and thanked her solemnly. A few seconds passed by before she smiled reluctantly in return. She could do without her thanks, as long as Neji wouldn't be sealed again. Somehow, Hiashi perceptively informed her of the clan's decision.

Neji wouldn't be sealed again.

Her chest felt lighter after that news. She reached out and caressed the smooth plane of his forehead. The seal was what tied him down. It was the reason why he couldn't fully savour his life, he had told her once. It was the reason why he chose not to be in a relationship, unlike most men his age. The seal was prevented him from becoming what he really wanted to be.

"I wonder if you'll get yourself a girlfriend now." She wondered aloud. The medical tent's other occupants—a Hyūga amputee and her sensei—were sound asleep and could not hear her silly musings. Others already considered them an item, and she did have feelings for him stronger than friendship, but with his constant battle for his freedom and then the war, romance was the last thing in their mind.

She had kissed him once, on the cheek, and drunkenly. They were awkward for a week. After that, all thoughts of having a romantic relationship with him flew out of the window.

"You'd better wake up then," she cajoled. "We'd be heading back for Konoha in a few days, and who knows, it might be that pretty Kumo medic who gives you sponge baths." She would do it herself, but all uninjured shinobi were oft on call by the Kages, scouting and collecting other information. She could only sit with him once she finishes, which was at sundown.

"You don't like her? Hm, how about…that Suna kunoichi? I forgot her name, but she has really nice hair and is very sweet. I could introduce her to you." She teases. Even though he was unresponsive, she could feel his indignation, or maybe it was only her imagination.

"Oh, you're not into foreigners? Well, how about the daughter of the dango owner back at Konoha? We could get free dango!"

Silence, and if possible, the annoyed aura that he was emitting intensified. Even in his sleep, he was so much fun to tease.

"That distant Hyūga cousin of yours, the one who saw you naked? Skinship, huh?"

"None? Hm, picky." But he had the right to be. "Anyone from the rookie 9? Oh, wait, of course not Hinata, for obvious reasons. Sakura's also out of the market. She and the Uchiha have lately been prone to eye sex. Ino, then? She's hot. Oh, but I think she and Kiba has a thing going on. They keep disappearing during the night. So that leaves…"

Her. _Me._

"How about me?"

.

.

He squeezed her hand.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! Leave a review if you want._


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